So...Why?

The Ithaca Fringe got its start in 2013. I'm a playwright, pretty much first and foremost, and in 2008 took my play Oatmeal and a Cigarette to the Cincinnati Fringe and came back with the Critics' Pick award. I also came back with an experience so fulfilling (artists--you should apply there!) that I wanted it duplicate it in my home town of Ithaca, NY.

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You have to realize that Ithaca already has a remarkable theatre community; we have two regional theatres with excellent reputations, the Kitchen Theatre Company and the Hangar Theatre, as well as Cornell University and Ithaca College, both with outstanding theatre programs. Add to that the seemingly endless number of excellent and hard-working smaller theatre groups (I have worked with most of these, if not all, as have many of my fellow theatrical Ithacans) and you have what seems to be a pretty full theatrical menu to choose from.

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I disagree. For those of who who "fringe," you know how different the experience is from a community-based or professional production. A fringe is an experience unto itself, a collection of disparate acts coming together to create a mosaic of performing art that you just can't find anywhere else.

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And we don't jury the acts, which kind of scares the heck out of some folks. (See my blog post for an explanation why). So that means we don't restrict what the universe has to offer us. The Ithaca Fringe believes in taking risks and giving chances to all who dare to create. We hope you'll come see what we do, or even better, be a part of the lineup!

--George Sapio